1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic lock mechanisms, and more particularly, to an electronic lock which may be unlocked through use of a card-key containing a digital code formed by series of infrared light transmissive portions and infrared light non-transmissive portions
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional mechanical combination locks suffer from several inherent problems which limit their usefulness. Most importantly, the particular combination and sequence of numbers required to open the combination lock is oftentimes discernable by unauthorized personnel. By merely listening to the sounds generated by the mechanical combination lock during rotation thereof, the numerical combination required to unlock the combination lock may be determined.
More recently, electronic and computer-controlled combination locks have been disclosed However, the electronic locks of the prior art suffer from a high failure rate because such prior art locks are affected by changes in humidity and magnetic fields In other instances, electronic lock mechanisms of the prior art are also not secure as the key mechanisms utilized to unlock the electronic locks are easily reproducible, thereby again providing unauthorized personnel the ability to unlock the electronic locks.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic lock mechanism which overcomes the problems associated with prior art lock mechanisms.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic lock mechanism which may be unlocked through use of a card-key containing a digital code formed by series of infrared light transmissive portions and infrared light non-transmissive portions.